


Counting Stars

by mtn_dew_red



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Best Friends, Fluff, Friendship, No Smut, Outer Space, Stargazing, no ships, theyre bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mtn_dew_red/pseuds/mtn_dew_red
Summary: Kaito brings Kiibo out on an evening stroll and then they sit and stargaze and talk about space. It's all fluffy-- no ships, just dudes being bros. I like to think that they're good friends. :]
Kudos: 3





	Counting Stars

There’s a light breeze that’s brushing past the blades of grass at Kaito’s feet, whispering past his ankles. It whips gently through his hair, tickling his nose and making a small smile tug up on his lips. The night was warm. Not the sort of cold nights you usually came across this late into autumn. No, this night was pleasantly warm. Not humid. Not rainy, either. Just the perfect temperature for something like this. 

His bare feet pad over lush grass and small clovers as he drags Kiibo behind himself, metal hand gripped tightly in his own skinny one and pulling him along almost as if he were a dog on a leash. Though, Kiibo isn’t protesting. He’s merely letting Kaito lead him, a small, hesitant smile present on his face. His blue eyes are glowing in the absence of light, little whirring noises coming from somewhere within him, breaking the otherwise comfortable silence with their mechanical nature. 

“Where are we going anyway, Kaito?” He asks, voice as calculated as always as he forms his sentences in proper English. Every once in a while, Kiibo would accidentally access the wrong language bank, and he would begin speaking without thinking anything of it. So, as of lately, he’s been quite particular and careful about the bank he is accessing at any given moment. 

“You’ll see.” Comes the astronaut’s reply, still smiling to himself as Kiibo’s hand clings to his own. “It’s worth it, man. Promise.”

“If I remember correctly, you said that last time as well.” The robot does something like a chuckle, clearly amused. Kaito can only roll his eyes. Dramatically, at that. “Well, it was, wasn’t it?”

“Not really, no.” Kiibo says, and that earns another roll of the eyes from Kaito. “Come on, give me some credit. I can’t predict everything, yanno. How’s it my fault some clouds got in the way of mars?”

“It is not your fault. However, it was your fault that I happened to get water in my servos.”

“...Yeah, okay, fair.” Kaito chuckles, shaking his head and continuing to tug Kiibo along. There’s dirt beneath his feet now, and for a moment he regrets having not worn shoes on this particular outing of theirs. He can’t imagine how dirty the soles of his feet are at the moment. He’s just glad the ground isn’t wet. That would make this worse than it already is.

After several more minutes of walking in near silence, the two come to a stop in the middle of a grassy field. The grass is significantly taller here than it had been previously, coming to a stop around their knees and brushing past their calves. Kaito makes a mental note to search himself for ticks after this. Little pests. 

“Here we are.” he smiles, extending his arms out to either side of himself and gesturing around the two of them. Kiibo’s eyes scan their surroundings. “It is a field.” He notes, brilliantly, and Kaito sighs as his arms flop back down to his sides. “Well, yeah, but--”

A finger extends towards the sky, and Kiibo’s eyes direct themselves upward, taking in the smattering of stars that are hanging there, their light bouncing brightly off of his shining metal features. “...Stars in a field.”

“Right you are, my robot companion.” Kaito grins widely, moving to sit himself down in the grass and lean back on his elbows. He looks up at Kiibo. “I thought we might as well stargaze. Yanno, since it’s so clear outside this time. A little thank-you for helping me with some calculations this weekend.”

“If this alone is my thanks for assisting you, I think I would rather not provide calculations for you from here on out.” The robot jokes, though his tone is flat. It still elicits a laugh from Kaito. He knows the other well enough to understand. “Oh, come on.” He smiles, tugging on Kiibo’s hand and trying to get him to join him in the grass. “This is nice, right? Promise I’ll actually give you a gift next time.”

There’s a moment's hesitation on Kiibo’s part, but eventually he caves, careful not to dent his metal as he joins Kaito on the ground. He directs his eyes toward the sky, taking in the sight and memorizing it subconsciously. He had a tendency to do that, actually. It came easy for someone such as himself. 

“See? This is nice, too. Almost as good as a real gift.” Kaito says, also gazing up at the sky. Kiibo smiles, but it’s faint. Hardly noticeable. “Almost.” He agrees. 

There’s shifting on Kaito’s part, and he leans back, folding his arms behind his head and laying down fully to get a better view. He sighs as he relaxes, moving to bend one of his knees and drape his other leg over it, bouncing his foot to and fro as his eyes scan the starry night sky. 

“Just how many do you think there are up there, Kiibs?” He asks, and Kiibo looks slightly confused for a moment. Kaito restates: “The stars, I mean. How many do you think there are?”

“There are approximately one-hundred thousand million stars in just our galaxy alone, if my calculations are correct.” Says the robot, eyes blinking mechanically as he takes in his surroundings. “And that’s only accounting for the milky-way. So, therefore, there’s an estimated one-billion trillion stars in the observable universe.”

Kaito blinks a few times in disbelief, squinting up at the sky as if he could possibly count them all. He shakes his head side to side, messing up his purple hair. “Jesus,” He breathes, looking over to Kiibo. “I can’t even picture one-billion trillion things in my mind. Not even that many grains of sand.”

The robot nods, looking rather stoic as he continues blinking up at the sky. “I do not think that stars can be compared to grains of sand. Our own sun is eight-hundred sixty five thousand three hundred and seventy miles wide, and a grain of sand is a mere--”

“No, no,” Kaito interrupts, stopping him before he can finish his thought. “I know that, bub. I was just speaking metaphorically.”

Kiibo seems to understand, nodding gently. “I see. My apologies.”

“None needed. I should’a specified.” Kaito says, waving a dismissive hand before directing his eyes back toward the sky. There’s a comfortable silence that falls over the two of them for a long while before the astronaut speaks up again, sounding rather spacey himself as the words flow past his lips and into the warm night air.

“Some day, I’m going to be up there.” He states, matter-of-factly. “I’m going to be among those one-billion trillion stars, you know.”

A small smile turns up on Kiibo’s lips, and he looks quite fond for someone made of metal and wiring. His eyes spark. “There are no doubts within my predictive programming that you are correct, Kaito.” He says, which makes Kaito give him a small, appreciative smile. 

“You know,” The purple-haired astronaut begins, choosing his words before he says them. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be an astronaut. I saw videos of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and all the greats in grade school… and it’s just stuck with me ever since. I never lost that wonder. Not once since I first found out about space travel has that dream left me. And now I’m just a few months of training away from actually getting to visit space… It’s like my childhood dreams are finally coming true.”

“You have worked tirelessly to get here, Kaito.” Kiibo says, snapping him out of his rambling with his gentle and calculated voice. “You have only your hard work to thank for this outcome.”

“I suppose so,” says the astronaut, still smiling despite himself. “But doesn’t mean I’m not excited for it, you know. I’m ready to be up there. I don’t even care if I’m up there for two weeks or two years. I just want to be up there, floating around among the stars and the planets and taking in everything that the universe has to offer…”

Kiibo is looking at him pensively, absorbing his words and calculating what to say in return. Being a robot himself, Kiibo didn’t quite understand the humanity of ‘wanting’ things. Though, he was learning. He was getting better. He settles on: “I’m sure that will happen for you very soon.”

Kaito nods, sighing through his nose and gazing dreamily up at the sparkling stars hanging in the night sky. The air is warm, and the light breeze tickles the hairs on his arms and legs, and his feet are dirty and a bit cold, but he doesn’t care very much about any of that. He reaches for Kiibo’s metal hand, taking it in his own pale, thin one. 

“Thank you, Kiibs.” he says, offering the other a warm smile. “I dunno what I’d do without you.”

The robot returns the gesture, gently squeezing Kaito’s hand in his own and smiling despite himself. “The pleasure’s all mine.”


End file.
